Step Closer

Shipping alliances will lead to market convergence and will reinforce the risk of reducing service quality and sailing frequency as well as free choice for manufacturers and retailers, as well as enhancing prices, according to the European Shippers’ Council (ESC)
It also has called for greater data monitoring by national competition authorities following recent announcements regarding shipping line collaborations which, it claims, are bringing “the container liner market one step closer to total convergence”.
The increased collaboration between the French container ship operator CMA CGM and Germany’s Hamburg Süd will bring the container liner market one step closer to total convergence, the European Shippers’ Council warns.
The Brussels-based organization wants a focus on “operational and juridical links between ship owners” and the “correlation between price modification and capacity modification”.
ESC, which represents the logistic interests of manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers, argued that the situation will “neither improve trade nor the growth of economies”, stating:” This new global partnership underlines the fact that the maritime liner competition should be seen from a global perspective and not at regional level.

The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) took one step closer to breaking ground for the expansion of the Panama Canal Tuesday, when it officially awarded the first expansion construction project contract to Constructora Urbana S.A. (CUSA).
The selection process began May 7, when the ACP released its request for proposals to begin the first of five dry excavation projects to create the new Pacific Locks access channel. This new channel will link a new

Northrop Grumman announced that it recently completed a series of tests of the Maritime Laser Demonstration (MLD) system, moving high-energy lasers a step closer to deployment aboard U.S. Navy ships. According to the company, shore-based tests at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Port Hueneme proved the MLD system's ability to track small boats at long ranges and in a marine environment.
"Tracking tests were part of a larger program designed to demonstrate laser weapon system

German Greens MEP Michael Cramer welcomes news that development of the world's first hydrogen-fuelled ship has come a step closer.
Cramer was speaking at the presentation of "project zero", an initiative designed to develop the first ship generating zero greenhouse gas emissions. , reports The Parliament.
Scandlines, the Danish-German ferry company, wants to develop a ferry servicing a short, 100km route between the two countries, which would be powered, in a sense, by wind

New permit is an important step in the excavation process by Seafarer Exploration Corp. of an historic shipwreck site located off Lantana Beach Florida.
The permit was issued pursuant to Part IV of Chapter 373, Florida Statutes and Title 62, Florida Administrative Code from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and represents an important step in Seafarer's quest to excavate this exciting shipwreck site.

The Coast Guard offloaded nearly $600,000 estimated wholesale value of marijuana at Coast Guard Sector Miami, Friday.
On Aug. 3, the Coast Guard Cutter Dependable detected a go-fast vessel with suspicious packages off the coast of Jamaica. The men aboard the go-fast began jettisoning packages overboard after the Dependable began pursuit. The Dependable launched its small boat and stopped the suspect vessel after employing disabling fire against one of the outboard engines

New York area commuters will soon benefit from direct ferry service between Elizabeth, NJ, and lower Manhattan thanks to a $9.5 million federal grant awarded to County of Union, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said.
The Elizabeth ferry project will contribute to the expansion and improvement of transportation services to Lower Manhattan by providing a much needed link for Manhattan residents who work in the rapidly growing Elizabeth area.

A UK Short Sea Shipping Bureau is one step closer to becoming a reality, according to the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS). Over recent
months, the ICS has organised a number of meetings with leading bodies in the UK transport industry including the Chamber of Shipping, Freight Transport Association, BIFA, Road Haulage Association and British ports' groups, all of which have given the bureau their full support. The next step is to secure funding from the UK government.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding division has reached a milestone in the construction of the submarine Indiana (SSN 789). The 16th Virginia-class submarine has reached “pressure hull complete,” signifying that all of its hull sections are joined to form a single, watertight unit.
Ship’s Sponsor Diane Donald, wife of Adm. Kirk Donald (U.S. Navy, Ret

The planned merger between German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd and United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) could be on the verge of gaining EU Antitrust approval, reported Reuters.
The planned tie-up, which would create the world’s fifth-largest carrier is one step closer to becoming a reality after sources close to the deal told Reuters that UASC had agreed to pull out of some vessel sharing agreements, seen as a key stumbling block in gaining approval.

CMA CGM and ENGIE signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote LNG as the marine fuel for tomorrow’s container vessels. Farid Salem, Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, and Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE, signed the agreement today at the Marseille headquarters of CMA CGM.

The Port of Seattle has completed the environmental analysis of Terminal 5 and has prepared the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the project to modernize the cargo-handling facility in order to serve larger cargo vessels. The proposed upgrades to Terminal 5 are wharf rehabilitation

The German Fair Trade Commission has approved the acquisition of Hamburg shipyard Blohm+Voss GmbH by the Bremen-based, family-owned company Luerssen Maritime Beteiligungen GmbH & Co. KG, a specialty designer, manufacturer and repairer of yachts over 60 meters and military ships.

The U.S. Navy’s new guided missile destroyer John Finn (DDG 113) has completed its third and final round of sea trials following two days testing various systems in the Gulf of Mexico.
“The success of DDG 113 acceptance trials moves us one step closer to delivering a quality

Cyprus-based Ocean Rig has stepped in to buy the sixth generation ultra-deepwater (UDW) drillship Cerrado, which once drilled the giant Libra prospect offshore Brazil, following its owner Brazil-based Schahin Group bankruptcy declaration last April.

The long-awaited initial public offering (IPO) of Sovcomflot, which runs one of the world’s largest tanker and gas carrier fleets, has moved a step closer.
Economy minister Alexei Ulyukayev was quoted by local Russian news agencies as saying that the government might get

The PALFINGER Group has signed today the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares in Herkules Harding Holding AS and thus, the globally operating Harding Group. The seller is the Norwegian private equity fund Herkules. Harding is one of the leading suppliers of lifesaving equipment and lifecycle

Piraeus Port shareholders approved a new concession agreement with Chinese shipping giant COSCO on Friday, bringing Greece a step closer to concluding the sale of a majority stake in the port.
Greece agreed in April to sell a 67 percent stake in the port to COSCO for 368.5 million euros

Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completed its turn ship evolution June 11. This is a major milestone that brings the country's newest nuclear powered aircraft carrier another step closer to delivery and commissioning later this year.

Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) is sailing into the THE Alliance. With the new charter deals it is now “one step closer to becoming a member of THE Alliance”, from which it was excluded when the mega-alliance was announced last month.

European Central Bank (ECB) kicked off a review into the risks of banks’ shipping exposure, Reuters reported.
ECB is conducting an in-depth review of banks’ exposure in shipping amid rising provisions for bad debt in an industry still mired in crisis.

Flirtey, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine doctor and the Field Innovation Team showcase humanitarian potential of drones for the United Nations and American Red Cross.
Drone delivery service Flirtey and Dr. Timothy Amukele

Among five major ports on the east coast Paradip Port topped the list with 28.65 million tonnes of cargo for the first four months, followed by Chennai Port 17.42 million tonnes, V.O.C Port 13.07 million tonnes, Krishnapatnam Port 11.57 million tonnes and Kamarajar Port close to 9 million

The U.S. Navy’s newest and most technologically advanced surface ship, future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), pulled into Naval Station Norfolk Wednesday for another port visit as part of its three-month journey to its new homeport in San Diego.